Old Habits
by Cunri of the Mountains
Summary: Parker and Eliot have a discussion about her feelings of Hardison. Rated T just to be safe.


He leaned closer. Her stomach wrapped into knots. His lips were soft and warm on her cheek. His breath tickled her jaw as he slowly leaned away. He whispered something before walking away, but his words never reached her ears., She locked her jaw, squirming in her spot. Once she could no longer see him, she balled her fist, rubbing her knuckles across her cheek until she scrubbed the feeling of his lips from her skin.

The door swung open suddenly. She jumped. Eliot looked surprised at first. He squinted, analyzing her expression. With a small sigh, he took a few steps nearer. He stayed a foot back, letting the thief have her space. "What's wrong, Parker?" His voice was low and rough, yet even with his gruff demeanor, he never seemed threatening to her. His eyes stopped on the large, red mark forming on her cheek. "What happened?" Her eyes flashed with embarrassment. He growled. "Did someone hit you?"

Parker snorted, but she quieted as she saw the fire behind his eyes. "No," she answered finally.

"Then how'd you get that." He pointed to her cheek, losing patience.

She chewed her lip sheepishly, "Well, you know how when someone touches you, you still feel it even after they leave." She waited for him to agree, but Eliot held his tongue. Parker shrugged, avoided his glance. "Hardison kissed me on the face,"

Eliot raised his eyebrows. He crossed his arms and looked at her with a smile. "Oh, have you two been," he paused, widening his eyes, "Sucking face?"

Her nose wrinkled. "Eww!" She squealed, reaching out and slugging him in the arm.

There was the Parker he knew. She was like a child, kicking her feet and laughing. He sat next to her on the counter, his eyes wandering around the deserted bar.

As her smile faded, she sighed, staring down at the floor. "I don't understand why he likes me."

Her voice was almost too quiet for him to hear. "We all like you, Parker."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I mean like 'wants to date me' likes me." Her blonde hair was a wall blocking her face from view. "I'm not pretty like Sophie."

He nudged her shoulder, frowning. "Says who?"

She looked at him, confusion in her eyes. "Well, no one _said_ it, but just look at her. I've seen the way the marks look at her. And the way Nate looks at her." She added with a shrug.

"Do you honestly think no one looks at you that way?"

The question puzzled Parker. She thought for a minute, then slowly answered, "Some people do. But it would be easier if they didn't."

Tilting his head, he dug a little deeper, "Why do you say that?"

"Well, if no one liked me – like, likes-me likes-me – then I wouldn't have to worry about people wanting me to do stuff I didn't want to do or anything." She shrugged again. "I just don't want-" Her voice trailed off.

He smiled, "You don't want to lead him on?" As she nodded, he scoffed, "Aren't you two dating?"

She threw her hands up. "He asked me out, and I didn't know what to say." She spoke quickly, as if she had been holding this speech in for weeks. "I couldn't say no. He would be all sad and mopey and leave the team. Then we wouldn't have a hacker. Then we would have to find a new hacker. And-and" She took a breath. "I like him." As she said it out loud, she shook her head. "I just can't like him like he wants."

Eliot stayed silent for a while, letting her process her own words. When he finally spoke, his voice was somber. "If you let this keep going, he's going to get hurt."

"I know." She whimpered softly.

"But if you break it off with him, he's going to get hurt."

She hung her head. "I know."

"Parker, look at me." She sighed, then let her eyes meet his. "Don't do something that's going to hurt you."

Parker shifted suddenly, "Did I ever tell you about Gunner?"

Forcing his gaze to stay neutral, Eliot fought the unease in his gut. "Who's Gunner?"

"He was in one of the car smuggling rings I was involved in before Archie found me. He was this tall boy that was a few years older than me. Someone spread the rumor that I liked him so he asked me to be his girlfriend." She let gaze fall like she was embarrassed. "I had never had a boy like me before so I said okay."

Eliot nodded, his jaw stiff. "Did you like him?"

She let out a short laugh. "I tried to. He really liked me. I went along with just about anything he said." She quickly turned back to Eliot, "Not _everything_."

Eliot let go of a breath he did not know he was holding.

"But he did try a couple times."

His snarl returned, promising himself that if he ever found this Gunner, he would not walk away from that fight. "What's your point, Parker?" He growled.

"I'm not going to do that again." She was silent for a while before she looked up at him and continued. "I am not going to be pushed into anything that I'm not okay with." She wrinkled her nose again. "Hardison is annoying sometimes – and makes me so uncomfortable sometimes – and I don't want to lose a friend, but I won't let him push me into anything that I can't walk away from."

"Good." Eliot nodded. He made a mental note to threaten Hardison later, just in case. Standing, he reached behind the bar and grabbed a drink. "I had better get back upstairs. Sophie insisted I see _Breakfast Club_." He had almost reached the door when he turned back. "You want come?" Parker whooped and leapt of the bar, scampering past him like an excited terrier. _There's our basket-case. _He thought with a smile as he followed the blond up the stairs.


End file.
